Antiskid device or chain.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT omiten.

ROBERT N. EVANS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TLAS CHAIN COMPANY, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK'.

ANTISKID DEVICE OR CHAIN.

Application lect February 23. 1910.

To all whom 'it may conce-m:

Be it known that I, Roniinr N. Evans, a Citizen ot' the United States.vand a resident of New York eity, in the County oi Kings and State of NewYork, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in AntiskidDeviens or Chains, of which the following; isa speeitieation. i

This invention relates to anti-skid deviees or chains for tires Commonlyknown as tire chains and used. on tires of automobiles to prevent theslipping' and skidding of the tires on the road.

The object of my invention is tto furnish an improved cross member forthe tread eonsisting of' links, a portion of which can be simply madefrom sheet metal blanks and,

comprising integral means for flexibly conneeting the links together andhaving' its tread surface suitably reinforced againsterushing; andothers of said links can be simply made of steel blocks out from a baror otherwise.

In the drawings aeeonipanying tliisspeeific-ation in v invention isillustrated in its preferred embodiment, wherein- Figure 1 is aseetionof a portion oi a tire showing' one of these improved erosschains in position thereon and under compression from the weight of themachine. Fig. 9. is a eross sectional view on an enlarged scale of oneof ,the box links. Fig'. is a. longitudinal section of a block. linkwhich Ipreferably use as the center link in eaeh cross member. Fig. 4 isa transverse seetiono'f the saine.

The sheet metal link comprises a boX link formed from a blank, havingtivo flat portions 3 and -1 Connected by a narrower portion 5 and :itthe outer ends of portions E, and i are split eve portioiis'T and S,respectively for articulation with companion links. That tlat porti-ouas of said blank which is to serve the tread t'aeo is rougghened-orsupplied with two or more sets ot grooves crossing` eaeli other, forengagement with the road; or .said tread may be provided withcorrugatioiis thereby forming' ribs therebetween and said eorrngationsand ribs may lie at any oi various angles lengthwise said blank or link.Opposite sides ot flat. portions S and -lf are bent to t'orm lips orsupports 9 and 10 as to portion 3 and 14 and 15 as to portion 4. .Theopen eye portions are also bent upwardly to sonie extentl soSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. .'30, 1910.

Serial No. 545,483.

that iii the next bendingr operation said eye portions will be broughttogether faire to face. The partly bent blank Yis then t'olded at itsnarrow portion and portions D and 14: and portions 10 and 15resilieetively, brought together edge to edge, thusl bringing flatortions 3 and at into parallelism but' ottset from each other.. "hesplit eyes also come together iaee to t'aee in register as shown.

Referring now to Figsjl. 3 and-1, there is therein illustrated myimproved bloek or solid link, saidv link preferably' beingh the centerlink of eaeli cross chain (Fig. 1) to take the heaviest-duty in use.Said link 16 isv formed from a solid block ot suitable iii-,i-

terial preferably steel,l and may be furnished with a rong'hened orcorrugated tread face 17. Each end of said link lis provided with atransverse hole or eye 1S fo' articulation With .the adjoining' links. Ialso preierabliv provide said link with an opening- 1) therein from itstreadA face to its reai tai-e and 'preterably elianifer ont oi:eountei'sink `said opening at lthe rear end Qt) thereet' so as topresent. a smooth and non-cuttingl sui-tare 'tor ContactI witli thetire. The tread tace poi-- tion of said noie lQ-is etlieient to iui'nishadditional holding,- means on the road and the countersunk rear faceportion Q0 of said hole is eflieient to'gently engage the tire whenunder pressure whereby said tire as at. 21, enters more or less intosaid opening` thus preventing side slippage or oreepinri ot` the -chainon said tire. v

To assemble the links the split e'ves T, S are brought adjacent toopposite sides respectively of the open loop formed by bent portion ofanother sheet metal link or of one of holes 1S block link 1G and thesplit.

portions arel forced inwardly'to'bring their ends together whereby theportion 3 or eye of the bloek link as the ease may be, is inelosedwithin the now elosed eye T, S. The adjacent links are thusI artienlatedby intee'ral means. thus provide a cross niembei' of as many links asdesired and comprising a plnralitiT ot links ot sheet metal boxConstruction and a renter' link ot' bloek oon-- struction and all simpleaiid rifj d and which may hare tread siii'laees provided with road`gripping means ot high ellieienev.

Y It will be obseri'ed that the block link' oi cross 'shape andeoniprises a body or central portion of relatively great width and liobreadth, and extensions or cars for the reception ot the loopscit-adjacent links7 these adapted' to receive the eyesY or loops ot the,also be observer/that the Width of the-block:

Ithe box links nia;v be inade coinparativelv greater ividth than the boxlinks, it prevents extensions or ears being ol. inuch lessv width thanthe ividtli of the body, so that they arey boizlinks 'at each sidethereof. the openings otivhic'li inay be oit lessividth than theinaxiniu'ni Width ot the-box links. lt 'ivill or center link is.considerably greater than the Width lottlie box links. so that itprojects beyond the plane ot the sidi-sot the box links. lly forming theblock link ot' coii- Sider-able Width. and ot a Width greater than i theWidth ot the box links. I obtain several advantages.' one oit' which isa considerable tread sui't'ace centr-illy of the tire upon the i road.another a considerable protection to the tire itself, since. as thecross chains are located relatively close together it follows that, byinaking the bliwktorinetl -liiik ot greater width than the box-formedlinks a ,Lfji'cater surface ot' the ltire is protected lengthwise ot thetire as Well as a greater tread surface on the. road obtained, so thatsinall. as the larger pio'i'iortion ot the Wear coines upon the blocklinks. But in addition to these advantages. l obtain a very .importantadvantage. in that, by making the block link ot' coiisideiable ividtlnand ot the turning over of the chain on the tire in use. l'n otherwords. the rolling ot ilie chain and the turning over thereof upon thetire is prevented. since, as the lock links are ot considerable AWidththeyr project beyond the plane of the sides oit' the box links and actto prevent the t-uri'iing over of the chain upon the tire. This thusenables ine to torni the box links ot the cross ineinbe'r relativelysinall and with rouiided'edges ivlierc they engage the tire, since,v asstated= the fbriiiation of the block link is such that it ivill preventthe rolling oit'the box links or the turning of thel cross nieniber uponthe tire. Thus there are important advantages in making the block linkot ci'ucitoi'ni con struction. ln the present iniprovenient it will alsobe observed that the loops of the box links which are articulated withthe block torined link are oli'set troni thc liat or parallel portionsot such box links and are ivitliiii the plane ot such iiat portions,v soas to prevent Wear upon these loops, and that by forming theblocketoi'nied link of substantially the saine thickness as thebokt'orined links the apci'tnred extensions oit the i block-formed linkprotect the loops ot the a cross member inade tip ot pluralityofaiticulated box-formed links and a block center link located midway ofsuch cross vineinber5 said block center link and box fornied linksforming a lcontinuous tread surface across the tire, and said block linkhaving projecting ears for the articulation of a pair ot' said boxformed links.

A. crucit'orin block link for the` cross ineinber ot an anti-skid tire.cha-in, con'ipris` f ing a broad and wide center or body portion havinga Width substantial-ly at least as great as its breadth and havingopposed extensions provided with openings therethrough forl thearticulation. of adjacent links of the u cross ineinber.

3. A crueiforin block link for the cross nieinber ot an anti-skid tirechain, coinpris- -ing a broad and Wide center or body portion having aWidth. substantially at least as great as its breadth having opposedextensions provided with openings therethrough tor the attachment otadjacent links, said body portion having a centrally located opening anda ioughened tread suriace. i V

l, ln an anti-skid chain tor vchicletii'es. a cross ineinber inade up ota plurality ot boX-iorined links, each comprising-apair of llat paralleltread portions spaced and iiiaintained apart and integrally connected atone end by bent portion torniing a loop and havinga't the other end anintegrally formed loop otl'set and within the plane of such flatportions, and a block' center link located inidivay ot s ucli crossineiiiber and of substantially the lsaine depth or thickness as thetread portions oit the boxdoinied links and having extensionsarticulated With the oii`` set loops ot the boxntorined links, vsaidextensions having substantially the saine depth or thickness as suchtread portions of the box-formed links` 'v- Sigiied in the l.Park RowBuilding, heu' c ion York7 l. this y21st da y of February, nineteenhundred and ten before two subscrib ing Witnesses. d

l GEERT N. EVANS). Vitnesses y @Hannes Vil. LA :tt-Uil,

M. H. Coninck.

